The Planning Commission on Monday afternoon turned thumbs down on the idea of a motorcross track at a farm in Ooltewah.
The panel voted to deny a special permit for an amusement resort for Ricky Nelson at Triple J Trail off Ooltewah-Georgetown Road.
Mr. Nelson acknowledged that he eventually planned to get the track sanctioned as a commercial motorcross venue complete with concessions, a first aid station and a large parking section.
He said newer model motorcross vehicles are much quieter than before. He said the track would be at least a quarter mile from neighbors. And he said it was a family activity that helped keep kids out of trouble and off video games. He said there would be a weekly church service at the track. The operating hours would start out at 9-9, he stated.
City Councilman Darrin Ledford, a former motorcross driver, said the Nelsons could have a motorcross track for use by family and friends without a permit. But he said a commercial venue was another issue.
Several neighbors said they wanted to keep the rural atmosphere and worried about noise from racecars and announcers, dust and other "nuisance" issues.
Stacy Hall of Ooltewah-Georgetown Road said, "90,000 square feet of parking - that is not just for families and friends."
She said, "If we have hundreds of people coming in for the races, that's a huge safety hazard. This would destroy the quality of life we have enjoyed for generations."
Another neighbor said he had spent 20 years creating habitat for sandhill cranes, bald eagles, deer and other wildlife, and another said the track noise would almost equal the sound of an ambulance on a run.
County Commissioner Jeff Eversole told the Planning Commission members, "If we are not careful we are going to open up a Pandora's box. The commercializing of this is what I worry about. This is not the right place."
Bryan Shults of the planning staff said there were many emails in support, including one from Missouri, but almost all were not from near the planned venue.
For such special permits, the Planning Commission has the final say.
Mr. Nelson will have to wait at least a year to reapply.
Commissioners were told that TDEC had been carrying out an investigation and found that Mr. Nelson, who identified himself as a homebuilder, had begun moving dirt at the site without the proper permit.